Assiguos



W. M. HOFFMAN.

FUEL OIL BURNER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1919.

Patented June 1, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT oer-ace.

WILLIAM M. HOFFMAN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNGR TO HOFFMAN PRODUCTSCORPORATION, OF BUFFALO, NEVT YQRK, A CORPORATION 05 NEW YORK.

FUEL-OIL BURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1920.

Application filed November 22, 1919. Serial No. 339,856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. Horr- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Buffalo, county of Erie, State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fuel-Oil Burners, anddeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertainsto make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawmgs, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to fuel oil burners and their method of operation.The object is to provide a fuel oil-burner for the utilization of thecheaper, heavier hydro-carhens in which superheated steam is mixed withthe volatilized hydro-carbon and oxygen in order that a more nearlyperfect combustion may be the result.

The device here shown is an improvement on the devices described in theseveral previous applications filed by me on hydro-carbon burners ofsimilar type. Such cases being application filed April 1, 1919, SerialNo. 287,489; application filed May 26, 1919, Serial No. 299,816;application filed Aug. 6, 1919, Serial No. 815,599. The improvementconsists in the provision of a steam supply and circulating system,which will furnish a constant desired quality of steam to the nozzlewhich directs a steam jet into the combustion chamber and is soconstructed and arranged as to insure against the flooding of the burnerthrough the nozzle.

The figure is an elevation of the apparatus partly in cross-section.

b is the fuel oil tank which supplies fuel in quantity as may be desiredthrough a conduit 6 to the burner. A valve 7 may be provided in theconduit 6 to regulate a flow of oil therethrough. The burner is dividedinto two compartments, the lower one consisting of an oil pan 6 which issepa-.

rated from the upper compartment or combustion chamber 6 by means of aperforated partition. These perforations in the partition are providedin order that oil may pass from the lower compartment to the upper oneand are in such number as may be desired, one being indicated as 6 Thelower part of the combustion chamber 6 may be filled, as here shown,with an absorbent refractory material, such as asbestos. Projectingupward through the combustion chamber and coaxial therewith is a nozzleal disposed for the projection of a ct of steam into the mixing chamber.Superimposed over the combustion chamber 6 and supported byradially-extending ribs or fins b is a mixing cone 0. This mixing cone 0is provided with a hollow wall 0 adapted to serve as a steam-generatingchamber. The combustion chamber flares outward and upward as-at Z),immediately beneath the mixing cone 0 so as to provide a circumferentialpassageway to the combustion chamber through which air will be drawn tothe burning fuel in 6 An elevated water reservoir supplies through aconduit (0 Water to the steam-generating chamber 0 at the lower level ofsaid chamber. This water supply may be regulated by means of a valve 9.At a higher level than the water level in such reservoir a is a steamreservoir d. This steam reservoir (Z is provided with communicatingmeans leading to the reservoir 60. Reservoir d communicates with theupper portion of the steam generating chamber 0 by means of a conduit 0A head of steam is thus maintained in the steam reservoir and in thewater reservoir. A conduit 6Z2 leads from the steam reservoir. d to thenozzle 03*. This conduit may likewise be provided with a valve h forregulating the flow of steam therethrough.

Fuels used in hydro-carbon burners of this type are of low grade,streaky and of widely varying quality. An irregular, flashy combustionis the normal result. To overcome these disadvantages, T sought in thedevices described in my previous applications to inject a jet of steaminto the combustion chamber to there mix with the products of combustionand to provide means for insuring a steady flow of a constant qu alityand quantity of such steam. Though the operation of these devices metwith considerable success, yet to insure their most efficientusefulness, the oversight of an attendant was necessary; the quality aswell as quantity of vapor supplied to the nozzle would vary and varydirectly with the degree of combustion produced in the burner. At times,under a widely varying fuel supply, the burner would be flooded withwater. To insure against these defects, the present system of steamcirculation was provided and constitutes the improvement and novelty ofthe present invention.

The source of steam supply for the nozzle here located above anypossible water level and the flooding of the burner thus becomesimpossible. Further, the steam-communicating means between the nozzleand the steam reservoir is so disposed with reference to the combustionchamber that steam passing therethrough will be superheated before itreaches the nozzle. It will be apparent that steam passed directly fromthe steam reservoir would be heavy and carry a considerable quantity ofwater particles and to produce a dry, hot jet of steam at the nozzle,the heating thereof would be necessary.

What I claim is:

1. In an article of the class described, a combustion chamber, a steamgenerating chamber, a source of water supply, a conduit between saidsource of water supply and said steam generating chamber, steamreservoir located. at a higher level than the water level of said sourceof water supply and communicating therewith, a nozzle disposed forprojecting steam into said combustion chamber, a conduit between saidnozzle and said steam reservoir, said conduit passing through saidcombustion chamber. 2. In a fuel oil burner, a combustion chamber, asteam generating chamber, a water reservoir, a water passageway betweensaid reservoir and said steam generating chamber, a steam reservoirlocated at a higher level than the water level of said water reservoirand communicating therewith, steam communicating means between saidsteam generating chamber and said steam reservoir, means for projectinga jet of steam into said combustion chamber, a conduit between said jetprojecting means and said steam reservoir, said conduit passing throughsaid steam generating chamber.

3. In a fuel oil burner, a combustion chamber, a steam generatingchamber, an elevated Water reservoir, water communicating means betweensaid reservoir and the lower part of said steam generating chammane-4sher, a steam reservoir located at a higher level than the water level insaid water reservoir, steam communicating means between said steamreservoir and the upper portion of said steam generating chamber, anozzle disposed for projecting a jet of steam into said combustionchamber, steam communicating means between said nozzle and said steamreservoir, said steam communicating means passing through saidcombustion chamber, and said steam generating chamher.

4. In a fuel oil burner, a combustion chamber, a steam generatingchamber, a water reservoir, water communicating means between said waterreservoir and said steam generating chamber, a steam reservoir locatedat a higher level than-the water level of said water reservoir, steamcommunicating means between said steam reservoir and said Heamgenerating chamber, means for pro ccting a jet of steam into saidcombustion chamber, a conduit for conducting steam from said steamreservoir to said jet pro jecting means, means for heating said conduit.

5. In a fuel oil burner, a combustion chamber, a steam generatingchamber, a rater reservoir, water communicating means between saidreservoir and said steam generating chamber, a steam reservoir locatedat a higher level than the water level of said water reservoir andcommunicating therewith, steam communicating means between said steamreservoir and said steam generating chamber, a nozzle disposed toproject a jet of steam into the combustion chamber, steam communicatingmeans between said nozzle and said steam reservoir, slid communicatingmeans so disposed with reference to the combustion chamber that thesteam passing therethrough will be superheated before it reaches thenozzle.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

IVILLIAM M. HOFFMAN.

